Adult supervision required when using the oven, stove, blender, or chopping ingredients.

Abstract

Have any of your friends or family members ever had an allergic reaction to eggs? In this science project idea, you'll investigate how to modify recipes so that even egg-allergic friends and family members can enjoy them.

Objective

In this science fair project, you will evaluate the ability of egg substitutes to mimic the binding, leavening, or thickening properties of eggs in baking and cooking.

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Introduction

Egg allergy affects up to 2 percent of all children and is second only to milk protein as the top allergen in children. Reactions to eggs can be mild to severe. Some children outgrow their allergy by the time they reach elementary school, but in the past two decades, allergists have reported that greater numbers of children are experiencing egg allergy into their high school years and beyond.

If you, a friend, or a family member has experienced egg allergy, then you know how difficult it is to eat out in restaurants, or to find processed foods from grocery stores without eggs. Egg proteins are hidden under many different chemical names in foods. You can find egg proteins in:

Batters for meats and fish

Many desserts and baked goods

Marshmallows and nougats

Some pastas and breads

Many dressings and sauces

Soups using clear broths, and

Even the foam on special hot drinks.

For safety, families who experience egg allergies must prepare many foods from scratch at home. In this science project, you'll explore how to modify recipes so that foods that require eggs are safe to eat for egg-allergic friends and family members.

Eggs are used in baking and cooking in three key ways:

As a binder (to hold other ingredients together)

As a leavening agent (to make a food rise)

As a thickener (to make a food or sauce thicker)

How can you tell the purpose of an egg in your recipe? By looking at the other ingredients. If, for example, there is little other liquid in the recipe, then you know the egg is being used to add moisture. If there is no baking powder or baking soda, but there is an acid (like lemon juice, orange juice, or vinegar), then you know the egg is being used as a leavening agent. If there is nothing else in the recipe to act as a "glue," such as flour or nuts or bread crumbs, then you know the egg is likely serving as a binder.

For this science project, you'll investigate egg substitutes-ingredients that mimic the function of egg. Table 1 shows some common egg substitutes for the three functions of egg that you'll be focusing on: binding, leavening, or thickening.

Binder

Leavening Agent

Thickener

Ground flax seed

Baking powder + Extra oil

Applesauce

Gelatin

Vinegar

Tapioca flour

Banana

Lemon juice + Baking soda

Banana

Silken tofu

Orange juice + Baking soda

Tofu

Arrowroot powder

Buttermilk + Baking soda

Fruit puree

Agar powder

Corn starch

Table 1. Common substitutes for egg, based on the function of egg in a recipe.

The substitute you choose to try for your recipe will depend upon the egg function you are trying to replace, and the taste you are trying to achieve (for example, would a fruity tasting substitute be a good combination with the other ingredients, or would a bland, neutral-tasting substitute work better?).
Let's get cooking!

Terms and Concepts

Egg allergy

Allergen

Allergist

Egg substitute

Questions

Can an egg substitute completely serve as a replacement for all the properties of egg?

Which substitute mimics the properties of egg the best for the egg function you have chosen to investigate?

Bibliography

This source provides information on the amount of egg substitute you should use to replace each egg in a recipe. It also describes any special preparation that is required to prepare the substitute for use in a recipe: The Cooking Inn. (2008). Egg Substitutes. Retrieved March 27, 2008 from http://www.thecookinginn.com/eggsub.html

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Materials and Equipment

Lab notebook

Ingredients for your test recipe; keep in mind that you will be testing your recipe three times with eggs and three times with each egg substitute, so be sure you have enough ingredients for at least 12 tests. See the website in the Bibliography for information on the amount of each substitute you will need to replace each egg.

Egg substitutes from one of the columns in Table 1

Supplies for preparing your recipe or egg substitutes, which might include a blender, mixer, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, baking dishes, and access to an oven or stove

Ice cream scoop, melon baller, or other similar tool, if making individual servings

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Experimental Procedure

Select which egg function you want to investigate: binding, leavening, or thickening.

Select a test recipe that uses egg as a binder, as a leavening agent, or as a thickener. Below are a few example recipes.

Egg as a Binder

Egg as a Leavening Agent

Egg as a Thickener

Meatloaf

Cakes

Custard

Quick breads

Cupcakes

Lemon sauces

Cornbread

Meringues

Soufflés

Choose several egg substitutes from Table 1 to test. Be sure to select substitutes only from the column of the function your egg substitute will perform in the recipe.

Make a data table to record your measurements from the tests, as shown below:

Egg

Substitute 1

Substitute 2

Substitute 3

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Sum of Trials

Average of Trials

Make your recipe three times with egg, and then three times each for each of the egg substitutes that you are testing. For recipes that create individual servings, like cookies and cupcakes, you need to use an ice cream scoop, melon baller, or measuring cup so that the servings are uniform.

After each trial, measure and record in your lab notebook the amount of binding, leavening, or thickening (depending on which function you chose) in one of each of the finished products, as described below:

If you're measuring binding, cut the product in half on a plate or paper towel, or cut a uniform slice off the product. Count the number of crumbs after the cut. Use a clean paper towel or plate and a clean knife for each test. Take photos for your display board, if desired.

If you're measuring leavening, measure the height of the product at its highest point, as shown in Figure 1. Take photos for your display board, if desired.

Figure 1. Example of how to measuring leavening.

If you're measuring thickening, stack the two books on top of each other. Place 1 teaspoon of your thickened sauce on a plate. Tilt the plate by resting the plate edge on top of the two books. Use the same books for each trial so that the amount of tilt (the slope of the plate) is a constant. Wait 30 seconds, and then lay the plate flat again. Measure the distance the sauce has run on the plate, as shown in Figure 2. Be sure to clean the teaspoon and the plate after each trial. Temperature affects viscosity (which is how the sauce resists flow), so make sure the sauces are at the same temperature when you test them (for example, room temperature or refrigerated). Take photos for your display board, if desired.

Figure 2. Example of how to measure thickening.

Plot the average measures of binding, leavening, or thickening for egg and for each substitute that you tested.

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Variations

In addition to conducting the substitute performance tests described in the experimental procedure, conduct taste tests and then score ease of preparation for each of your trials. Then create a composite score for each trial that includes taste, ease of preparation, and performance. For example, score taste tests and ease of preparation from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) and record your scores in data tables like the ones below:

Taste score

Egg

Substitute 1

Substitute 2

Substitute 3

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Sum of Trials

Average of Trials

Ease of Preparation

Egg

Substitute 1

Substitute 2

Substitute 3

1 (easy) to 5 (difficult)

Give each of these results a 20 percent weight in your composite score so they contribute (at most) 1 point to the total composite score.

Then compute a performance ratio that compares the average binding, leavening, or thickening performance of each substitute to the performance of egg in a ratio:

For binding, the ratios are the average number of crumbs for the recipe with egg divided by the average number of crumbs for the recipe with egg substitutes.

For leavening, the ratios are the average height of the recipe with egg substitutes divided by the average height of the recipe with egg.

For thickening, the ratios are the average drip length for the recipe with egg divided by the average drip length for the recipe with egg substitutes.

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Related Links

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